Front wheel driven floor scrubber

ABSTRACT

A battery-powered three-wheeled floor scrubber vehicle having a single steerable front drive wheel and a frameless body structure consisting of a series of interconnected tank members and a pair of hydraulically controlled floor scrubbing brushes and squeegee arrangement mounted forwardly of the front steerable drive wheel.

United States Patent Meyer et al.

[ FRONT WHEEL DRIVEN FLOOR SCRUBBER [72] Inventors: Leonard Meyer, Highland Park; Walter G. Ashton, Winnetka; James E. Siegele, Mundelein, all of I11.

73 Assignee: Star Industries, 1116;, Chicago, 111. 22 Filed: April 22, 1971 [21] Appl.No.: 136,376

52 U.S. c1. ..15/50 R, 15/320 51 1m, 01. ..A47l 11/16 [58] Field 61 Search ..15/49 R, 49 c, 50 R, 50 c,

[56] References Cited- UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,978,719 4/1961 Arones ..15/320 X 3,277,511 10/1966 Little et al. 15 320 3,376,597 4/1968 Boyd 15/320 3,461,479 8/1969 Tierney 15/340 x 3,496,591 2/1970 Sheler 15/32 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 609,427 11/1960 Canada ..15/320 Primary Examiner-Edward L. Roberts Attorney-Edward C. Threedy [57] ABSTRACT A battery-powered three-wheeled floor scrubber vehicle having a single steerable front drive wheel and a frameless body structure consisting of a series of interconnected tank members and a pair of hydraulically controlled floor scrubbing brushes and squeegee arrangement mounted forwardly of the front steerable drive wheel. Y

6Claims,61)rawingFigures SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A floor-scrubbing apparatus including a frameless vehicle having a single front steerable hydraulically driven drive wheel, a pair of hydraulically driven rotatable floor scrubbing brushes and a comer squeegee mounted forwardly of the steerable front drive wheel, with the entire structure hydraulically controlled for simultaneous or independent movement into and out of floor-scrubbing position.

A master hydraulic cylinder is utilized to control the positioning and operation of the scrubbing brushes and their supporting structure for movement into and out of operating position, with a secondary hydraulic cylinder utilized to position the comer squeegee and its supporting structure relative to the brush-supporting structure. These hydraulic cylinders, as well as the front drive wheel, are all connected to and operated by a batterypowered hydraulic pump unit and independently controlled by the operator of the vehicle.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION The structure of this invention in its most preferred r embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings,

in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the floor-scrubbing apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the front brush and squeegee structure associated with the apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the front corner squeegee supporting structure;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the front wheel drive arrangement;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the apparatus showing certain parts thereof in exploded relationship;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary detail sectional view of the corner squeegee support and pivoting structure.

The apparatus of this invention as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 is of a frameless structure and, as such, consists of a series of connected structures. The scrubbing vehicle 10 includes a solution tank 1 1 having welded to one end a perpendicularly disposed vertically extending front instrument panel 12. A wheel compartment 13 is welded to the opposite end wall of the solution tank 11 and cooperates with such tank to removably support by means of interrelating clips 14 and the like a battery compartment 15 which in turn removably supports a recovery tank 16.

Adapted to extend through the wheel compartment 13 and be connected theretoby any suitable means, is an axle 17 which has mounted thereon freely rotatable rear wheels 18.

Within the front instrument panel 12 there is a supporting shelf 19 that has journalled through a suitable bushing 20 carried thereby the supporting and steering post 21 of the hydraulically driven steerable front wheel 22.

As shown in FIG. 4, the steering post 21 is connnected to an inverted L-shaped wheel bearing bracket 23, which provides a suitable wheel bearing 24 into which is journalled the axle (not shown) of the front wheel 25.

The front wheel 25 has formed in one side thereof a circular recess 26 into which projects a medial leg 27 and depending arm 28 of an offset mounting bracket 29. The upper arm 30 of the bracket 29 is connected by means of bolts 31 to one side wall 32 of the base 33 of the inverted L-shaped bracket 23.

Mounted on the arm 28 of the offset bracket 29 and extending partially into the recess 26 fonned in the wheel 25, is a hydraulic motor 34. The motor 34 includes a pair of conduit connectors 35 and 36 which in turn are connected respectively to conduits 37 and 38 which in turn are connected to a hydraulic pump and reservoir (not shown) but well known in the art. The hydraulic fluid forced under pressure through the conduits 37 and 38 effects operation of the hydraulic motor 34 to drive the wheel 25.

As the front wheel 25 is a combination drive wheel and steering wheel, it is necessary that it be rotated together with the axial rotation of the steering post 21. To prevent the hydraulic conduits 37 and 38 from becoming entangled during such rotation, there is provided a guide structure 39 which consists of a plurality of semicircular discs 40, 41 and 42 which are connected in spaced parallel relation by suitable connectors 43 which also function to form separate compartments 44 and 45 between the discs.

The discs 40, 41 and 42 are adapted to be disposed in a horizontal plane and to extend circumferentially about the inverted base 33 of the L-shaped bracket 23. By this arrangement the conduit 37 is disposed within the compartment 44 formed between the discs and 41, while the conduit 38 is disposed within the compartment formed between the discs 41 and 42. As the wheel 25 is turned, so too will the structure 39 turn, maintaining the conduits 37 and 38 in a separated organized relation with respect to each other.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown the arrangement for supporting the rotatable scrub brushes 46 and 47, as well as a front comer squeegee 48. Mounted on the free ends of the wheel axle 17 are the corresponding ends 49 and 50 of supporting bars 51 and 52. Welded across the bars 51 and 52 adjacent their free ends, is a plate 53 which in turn provides mounts 56 and 57 associated with the rotatable scrubbing brushes 46 and 47.

As shown in FIG. 2, the bar 51 is of a length shorter than that of the bar 52 so as to present a diagonally disposed front bumper 58 which is connected not only to the free ends of the bars 51 and 52, but also to their respective outer wall surfaces intermediate their ends, as shown. Carried by the long side reach 59 of the bumper 58 is a top plate 60 of a squeegee-supporting structure 61.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the squeegee-supporting structure 61 comprises the top plate 60, which in turn is connected by a pair of pivotal links 62 and 63 to a bottom plate 64, which in turn supports the front corner squeegee 48.

The links 62 and 63 have their ends pivotally connected to pivot pins 66 and 67, which in turn are journalled through confronting mounting blocks 68 and 69 provided by opposite faces of the top and bottom plates 60 and 64. By this arrangement, the top and bottom plates 60 and 64 through the linkage connection constitutes a parallelogram which operates under the influence of the movement of a piston 70 of a hydraulic cylinder 71.

As viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3, the hydraulic cylinder 71 is fixedly connected to a lug 72, which in turn is connected to the bumper 58. The free end of the piston 70 of the cylinder 71 is connected to an elongated portion of pivot pin 67, which connects the mounting block 69 of the bottom plate 64 to the link 63.

A coil spring 73 extends between the top plate 60 and the corner squeegee 48 and normally functions to maintain the parallelogram formed by the plates 60 and 64 in its collapsed or closed position. In such a position the squeegee 65 is raised into position where it will be out of contact with the floor to be scrubbed.

When the cylinder 71 is activated so as to cause expulsion of its piston 70, such movement will separate the bottom plate 64 from the top plate 60 through the parallelogram linkage heretofore described, such as is fragmentarily shown in dotted lines in FIG. 6, wherein the squeegee 48 will be in its operative position in contact with the floor to be scrubbed.

The complete supporting structure heretofore described for the brushes 46 and 47 and the comer squeegee 48, may be hydraulically pivoted relative to the axle 17 into and out of operative position through the connection of the free end of a piston 74 of a hydraulic cylinder 75. As shown in FIG. 2, the free end of the piston 74 is pivotally connected as at 76 to the plate 53 while the opposite end of the cylinder 75 is connected to a suitable support provided by the instrument panel 12. When the cylinder 75 is activated, it expels or withdraws the piston 74, effecting the pivotal raising and lowering of the cleaning structure, as desired.

' The pivotal movement of the supporting structure is through a substantially vertical plane; this by reason of having it pivoted about a remote point, i.e., the rear axle 17, while the moving force (cylinder 75) is located in close vertical proximity to the free movable end of the structure.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. We, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A battery-powered hydraulically driven threewheeled floor-scrubbing personnel-carrying vehicle, wherein the improvement comprises i a. a steerable hydraulically driven front wheel and a pair of freely rotatable rear wheels journalled on a rear axle,

b. a cleaning brush and squeegee-supporting structure pivotally connected onto said rear axle,

c. a pair of rotatable cleaning brushes mounted on said supporting structure forwardly of said front wheel,

d. a comer squeegee member mounted on said supporting structure and movable independently thereof into and out of floor engagement,

e. means movably connecting said comer squeegee to said supporting structure for independent movement relative thereto, and f. means for pivoting said supporting structure about said rear axle for moving said cleaning brushes and corner squeegee through a substantially vertical plane forwardly of said front wheel.

2. A battery-powered hydraulically driven threewheeled floor-scrubbing personnel-carrying vehicle as defined by claim 1, including hydraulically driven motors for said steerable front wheel and each of said cleaning brushes'and hydraulic cylinders and movable pistons for said corner squeegee moving means and said supporting structure pivoting means.

3. A battery-powered hydraulically driven threewheeled floor-scrubbing personnel-carrying vehicle as defined by claim 2, wherein said steerable front wheel includes a mounting bracket for said wheel and its hydraulically driven motor and associated hydraulic conduits, with said bracket providing means for maintaining the hydraulic conduits of said motor separated 'and unobstructed as said wheel is tumedto steer the vehicle.

4. A battery-powered hydraulically driven threewheeled floor-scrubbing personnel-carrying vehicle as defined by claim 1, wherein said means movably connecting said corner squeegee to said supporting structure comprises a movable parallelogram arrangement between said squeegee and said supporting structure for independently moving said comer squeegee member relative to said supporting structure through a substantially vertical plane.

5. A battery-powered hydraulically driven threewheeled floor-scrubbing personnel-carrying vehicle as defined by claim 1, wherein the vehicle is frameless and consists of a series of structural elements including a cleaning solution tank carrying an instrument panel and a rear wheel compartment and supporting a detachable battery compartment and liquid recovery tank.

6. A battery-powered hydraulically driven threewheeled floor-scrubbing personnel-carrying vehicle as defined by claim 5, wherein said means movably connecting said corner squeegee to said supporting structure comprises a movable parallelogram arrangement between said squeegee and said supporting structure for independently moving said corner squeegee member relative to said supporting structure through a substantially vertical plane. 

1. A battery-powered hydraulically driven three-wheeled floorscrubbing personnel-carrying vehicle, wherein the improvement comprises a. a steerable hydraulically driven front wheel and a pair of freely rotatable rear wheels journalled on a rear axle, b. a cleaning brush and squeegee-supporting structure pivotally connected onto said rear axle, c. a pair of rotatable cleaning brushes mounted on said supporting structure forwardly of said front wheel, d. a corner squeegee member mounted on said supporting structure and movable independently thereof into and out of floor engagement, e. means movably connecting said corner squeegee to said supporting structure for independent movement relative thereto, and f. means for pivoting said supporting structure about said rear axle for moving said cleaning brushes and corner squeegee through a substantially vertical plane forwardly of said front wheel.
 2. A battery-powered hydraulically driven three-wheeled floor-scrubbing personnel-carrying vehicle as defined by claim 1, including hydraulically driven motors for said steerable front wheel and each of said cleaning brushes and hydraulic cylinders and movable pistons for said corner squeegee moving means and said supporting structure pivoting means.
 3. A battery-powered hydraulically driven three-wheeled floor-scrubbing personnel-carrying vehicle as defined by claim 2, wherein said steerable front wheel includes a mounting bracket for said wheel and its hydraulically driven motor and associated hydraulic conduits, with said bracket providing means for maintaining the hydraulic conduits of said motor separated and unobstructed as said wheel is turned to steer the vehicle.
 4. A battery-powered hydraulically driven three-wheeled floor-scrubbing personnel-carrying vehicle as defined by claim 1, wherein said means movably connecting said corner squeegee to said supporting structure comprises a movable parallelogram arrangement between said squeegee and said supporting structure for independently moving said corner squeegee member relative to said supporting structure through a substantially vertical plane.
 5. A battery-powered hydraulically driven three-wheeled floor-scrubbing personnel-carrying vehicle as defined by claim 1, wherein the vehicle is frameless and consists Of a series of structural elements including a cleaning solution tank carrying an instrument panel and a rear wheel compartment and supporting a detachable battery compartment and liquid recovery tank.
 6. A battery-powered hydraulically driven three-wheeled floor-scrubbing personnel-carrying vehicle as defined by claim 5, wherein said means movably connecting said corner squeegee to said supporting structure comprises a movable parallelogram arrangement between said squeegee and said supporting structure for independently moving said corner squeegee member relative to said supporting structure through a substantially vertical plane. 